TMC MP Yusuf Pathan seeks Home Minister’s intervention over alleged assault on migrant workers from WB in Odisha

TMC MP Yusuf Pathan during a meeting with Islamic religious leaders in the wake of the Murshidabad violence, at Berhampore in Murshidabad district. April 24, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Yusuf Pathan on Friday (May 2, 2025) wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging that migrant workers from West Bengal, particularly from his Baharampur constituency, have been robbed, looted, and forcibly evicted from their accommodations in the neighbouring State of Odisha, and sought Mr. Shah’s intervention.

“The systematic targeting of workers from West Bengal, especially those from the Muslim community, based on their regional identity is deeply troubling. Such acts violate the fundamental principles of unity, integrity, and fraternity enshrined in our Constitution. Beyond the disruption to livelihoods, these attacks threaten the very lives and basic human rights of innocent citizens,” the cricketer-turned-politician wrote in his letter.

Mr. Pathan, who defeated five-time Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in the Baharampur Lok Sabha constituency last year, asserted that numerous videos documenting these alleged attacks have circulated on social media, substantiating the gravity of the situation and triggering widespread public concern. According to the MP, approximately 20,000 workers have fled Odisha in recent days fearing for their lives.

There have been reports of attacks on migrants from West Bengal residing in Odisha in the past. The Trinamool Congress amplified Mr. Pathan’s letter on its social media platforms and reiterated the demands made by the party MP.

According to the West Bengal Migrant Welfare Board, there are an estimated 22 lakh migrants from the State working elsewhere in India, although the actual number may be significantly higher.

Recently, Mr. Pathan faced controversy over his reported silence regarding communal riots in Dhulian, Murshidabad, an area not far from his constituency.